There are many great rivalries in basketball, but the two teams that continue to have hostility toward one another are the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.
Are the Celtics and Heat the biggest rivalry in the NBA today?
These franchises go back to 2010. You had the Celtics Big Three (Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen) against the Heat Big Three (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh). When those teams met on the court, there was no love. The hatred grew to another level when Allen joined the Heat and a title in 2013.
Now, we have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on one side and Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the other. The rivalry still exists, and trash-talking is still intact.
The battles between the Celtics and Heat could’ve been more intense if the NBA still had the same rules from the 1980s or `90s when physical play was at an all-time high and hand-checking was allowed. But nowadays, no one is going to fight. Technical fouls, suspensions, and fines have dramatically increased over the years.
The Celtics and Heat have played each other in 136 regular-season games. The Celtics won 83, and the Heat won 53.
The Celtics and Heat are undoubtedly one of the best rivalries in the NBA, and it won’t fade anytime soon. Highly competitive players with basketball skills make this rivalry a must-see TV show, and we see that in both of them.
Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
X: @mmm_sportnfilms, Instagram: @miguel_passionforsports, TikTok: @miguelmikemedina
This embedded content is not available in your region.Subscribe to Ball Don't LieOn a very special episode of Devine Intervention, Yahoo Sports senior NBA write
After more than seven years as the senior NBA insider at ESPN, Adrian Wojnarowski has decided to step away from broadcasting.ESPN confirmed that Wojnarowski wi
James Johnson has had a successful NBA career as the perfect role player. During the first few years of his career, Johnson was effective as a backup forward an
Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with a world of expectations, and despite a lowly record for his San Antonio Spurs after one season, what the rookie showed on